Many of these professionals studied at top medical colleges, like those mentioned in U.S. News' recently released rankings.

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First-year doctors will soon be eligible to work up to 28 hours consecutively after a governing body lifted the 16-hour cap on shift lengths for residents in U.S. hospitals. The decision by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, or ACGME, which accredits medical residency programs, came after members studied the effects of a cap on hours. They concluded it had not improved care and, in some instances decreased the quality of a first-year resident's professional development. The new rules limit normal shifts to 24 hours, but that can be expanded to 28 hours in order to facilitate transitioning a patient to another doctor's care. It also caps a resident's work week at 80 hours. Doctors in favor of lifting the cap said patients are comforted when they are familiar with the doctor assigned to care for them, and the 16-hour shift length often prevented residents from seeing a patient through the full length of medical procedures. Others opposed the change, saying exhausted doctors are more likely to provide substandard care, putting patients at risk.

Media: WochIt Media

Using surveys, student data and research funding granted to schools from the U.S. government's National Institute of Health, U.S. News was able to put together a list of the best and most innovative medical schools in the country.

Two Texas school appeared on the list: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine.